It's your prerogative to post what you want when you want, but according to your blogs, you're posting real intel real time, including who, what, when, where, and how. Not only is this recording and publishing behavior trend data for anybody who wants it cheap, but many of these units still have to travel home and you not only blatantly post who they are, and where they're from, but where they are now and thus, where they will probably be.
When they finally do go home, they're much easier to locate and target simply because you post real time. Couldn't you delay your postings a week or so to protect our airmen and soldiers?
I responded with the following:
This really is a tired argument. I will state this again: there are communications security procedures and encrypted/secure radio systems that they can use. If their communications are such that they should not be monitored, then should use those procedures and/or equipment.For a similar response, I also suggest reading this post.
You can find more information on any of these units, including equipment and location on websites such as http://www.globalsecurity.org/ and http://www.fas.org/main/home.jsp
These posts are weekly summaries, nothing more and nothing less. It is simply a list of frequencies and callsigns. It does not contain a detailed report of what was done or what was said. Nothing in those posts said what time anyone in particular left, where they departed from, or where they were en route to. This is going to lead to a unit being targeted when these major bases can be found on any street map you can buy at the corner gas station or the local bookstore?!
Somehow I think that if I, an amateur, part time hobbyist can figure this information out, it would a much shorter period of time for professional to do so.
Finally, I will state this. I have monitored numerous deployments of units to combat areas. I have never posted those movements to a pubic forum until well after the deployment was completed. I also do not post operations such as active Combat Air Patrols (CAPs) and active maritime security operations (river escorts, etc.)
Most of these postings are in fact delayed. Fridays are usually pretty inactive, which means that most of what I catch is between Monday and Thursday. I work most weekends, which means that I don't get to monitor much on the weekends. I post these recaps when I get the chance as a service to the monitoring and scanning community, particularly those just getting interested in military monitoring. I very seldom post the content of the communications I monitor. These arguments would much more valid if I did. As a matter of fact, I could agree with some of the arguments if the content was posted, which is why I usually don't post content.
The argument that I am establishing a data trend is a sad one. To be perfectly honest, I could almost copy my recaps from week to week without changing anything; the frequencies and callsigns just don't change that much. Is that my fault or the fault of those transmitting?
I will close by saying that it is my opinion as a communications professional the the security of communications lies with the person transmitting those communications, not with the receiver. If I think that something I am saying over the radio will endanger me or those around me, then I should make use of communications security protocols or secure communications equipment rather than depending upon what I'm transmitting to not be heard by anyone except my intended recipient. Monitoring and scanning is another form of public oversight. Except in a minority of situations, we should be able to hear what our goverment is doing. This way we hear the truth rather than what is served up to us as the truth by the media and the government.
Mac McCormick, KF4LMT
kf4lmt@comcast.net
